Shin and Ōnoki talked for three whole hours, having an initial discussion on specific cooperation projects and methods.
During the conversation, Ōnoki also revealed a tiny bit of intelligence from secret talks among the major ninja villages to Shin.
But all of it was either useless or outdated information. His real purpose was bait, to use the intelligence as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Konoha.
Ōnoki felt that Shin was the type who wouldn't act without seeing clear benefits, and wasn't he the same way himself?
As for the Five Kage Alliance, he couldn't care less. As long as it meant Iwa could grow stronger, he was willing to pay any price.
However, if both sides wanted to reach an agreement, a prolonged tug-of-war negotiation seemed inevitable.
That, however, was no longer something Shin needed to concern himself with.
His main focus was still on his various research projects. The upcoming negotiations would naturally be handled by others.
But just as Shin was negotiating with Ōnoki, outside of Konoha, a black-robed figure suddenly emerged eerily from underground. The figure wore a black mask, exuding an unnerving aura. Behind the mask, a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan eyes glinted with a sinister light.
Through clenched teeth, the figure spat out two words: "Konoha!"
This place was the source of his shame, and also the target of his revenge.
And he... was Hanma.
"Shin, I bet you never expected this, did you? I have spies in every village. Even Ōnoki's guards have become my eyes. No matter if you've mastered the Flying Thunder God, every move you make is still under my watch."
He appeared here at this moment because he had obtained precise information that Shin had left Konoha to negotiate with Ōnoki. This was the revenge opportunity he had been waiting for.
He would make Shin regret it, and make the entire Konoha regret it.
Thinking about the past year and more, the hatred in his heart surged uncontrollably.
First, he was kidnapped by Black Zetsu, and when he awoke, he had somehow become a half-White Zetsu monster.
Later, during his escape, he personally witnessed the death of his parents, killed by Konoha's own ninjas.
The reason? Those ninjas claimed his parents were rogue ninjas from Konoha, simply because they had left the village in search of him.
Seeing his parents die before his eyes awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan. He slaughtered those ninjas in cold blood, avenging his parents, but in doing so, he completely fell into darkness, completely consumed by hatred.
"Nine-Tails..." His vicious gaze carried a mocking glint as he murmured, "I've come to set you free."
With his plan in place, he sank back into the ground until he disappeared completely.
Not long after Hanma vanished, Black Zetsu emerged from underground, staring in the direction of Konoha, deep in thought.
When it came to Hanma, he felt nothing but disappointment.
This guy looked like he had matured, like he knew how to be patient, but that was only the result of Black Zetsu repeatedly persuading him, appealing to both reason and emotion.
Over the past year, he had stopped Hanma from acting rashly no fewer than a hundred times.
Even someone as patient as him, who had endured for a thousand years, was losing his temper. More than once, he had complained to Madara that this guy was a complete fool.
If he hadn't constantly exaggerated Shin's strength, warning him that failure meant certain death and no chance for revenge, Hanma would never have backed down, and there would have been no dragging things out until now.
And honestly... this guy's brain was seriously defective.
Whenever he saw a ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector, he genuinely believed they were from Konoha, never once did suspicion cross his mind.
When he heard that he was some special "Child of Prophecy," not only did he not doubt it, he thought it was a stroke of great fortune, grinning like he'd just eaten strange mushrooms.
Could such an idiot really help him accomplish his goals?
The future plan to collect the tailed beasts would require immense willpower, determination, and patience, qualities Hanma simply didn't have.
Thankfully, Madara had the foresight not to reveal his existence or share the final plan with this guy, otherwise the whole scheme would have collapsed before it even began.
So both Madara and Black Zetsu had already given up on him.
The only reason Black Zetsu still pretended to go along with him was to use him as a way to probe Shin's strength and reactions, to get to know the opponent, while also taking the chance to look for a new candidate.
It was all that damned Shin's fault, making him waste so much time.
The thought of how he and Madara had plotted around Shin for so long, only to be completely outmaneuvered by him, made Black Zetsu's very core tremble with rage.
But finding a new candidate was no easy task. At least for now, within the Uchiha clan, he hadn't found a single one he was satisfied with.
On this point, Black Zetsu could only feel helpless and continue to wait patiently.
Casting a glance in the direction Hanma had infiltrated, he sank into the ground and followed.
Useless as Hanma was, he could still be used as a pawn. After all, he had cultivated him for an entire year, he couldn't just let that investment go to waste. At the critical moment, he would still lend a hand.
---
In the Senju clan compound, Mito was watering her flowers with a serene expression. Seeing the lush growth of the plants filling the courtyard brought a faint smile to her face.
Every one of these flowers and plants had been planted and tended by her own hands.
It was one of her few hobbies in her later years, watching the plants grow little by little filled her heart with satisfaction, much like watching Tsunade, Nawaki, Kushina, and Minato grow up over the years.
Especially since Tsunade had become Hokage and Konoha had flourished, Mito felt even more content.
This was the village she and Hashirama had built together. She loved this place, and now she could finally leave without regrets.
She could see the reluctance in the eyes of the younger generation, but she herself was open-hearted and calm, often turning the tables to comfort them instead.
Life and death were part of the natural order, there was no reason to be sad. She had long since wished to go to the Pure Land to be with Hashirama again, to tell him all the thoughts she had kept to herself over the years.
That big, clumsy oaf Hashirama, if he learned that Tsunade was now Hokage, he'd probably be both shocked and troubled.
The image of his reaction made Mito chuckle unconsciously.
Although the world was beautiful, all that she held dear had long been buried in the past. The older she grew, the more she felt out of place in it.
It was time to go.
With Shin and Minato around, she didn't need to worry too much about Tsunade and Kushina, they would surely be well taken care of.
As for that rascal Nawaki, he was even less of a concern. Tsunade and Shin had taught him well.
The rest was Tsunade's responsibility as his elder sister. A person's strength had limits; she could no longer do more.
Her only hope was that Kushina could get along well with the Nine-Tails and not follow in her own footsteps, but since Shin said he had a way, she no longer needed to worry about it.
As her thoughts drifted, Mito's body suddenly trembled uncontrollably. An overwhelmingly evil chakra appeared behind her.
Even on the verge of burning out her life's flame, her senses and reactions were still razor-sharp. She spun around and leapt back, instantly putting distance between herself and the chakra, her gaze sharp and vigilant.
In her sight, a strange figure wearing a black mask and black robe silently emerged from the ground. A pair of three-tomoe Sharingan stared at her with vicious intent.
---
---
Completed at Chapter 278!
Visit my profile page for more information.